Pilot tested ng gov’t food stamp program sa 2nd half na ng 2023 – DSWD

SA LAYUNING mapagaan ang kagutuman at kahirapan sa bawat pamilyang Filipino na nabibilang sa “lowest income bracket”, nakatakdang ikasa ng Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) ang  pilot-test ng food stamp program  nito sa second half ng taon.

Ito ang sinabi ni  Secretary Rex Gatchalian sa press briefing sa Malakanyang.

Sa katunayan, kasalukuyan na silang nasa design stage ng programa para maayos na mapunan ang puwang na hindi napansin sa panahon nang ipatupad ito.

“Mayroon na tayong first draft ng design and we will spend the remaining months of May and June in the design stage. We all know that the devil will be in the details and we have hired multiple consultants in the department to take a second look at what’s being designed para may check and balance,” ayon kay Gatchalian.

“We are working with PSA’s [Philippine Statistics Authority] in-house poverty expert who is their Usec – Usec. Dennis Mapa – he is helping us craft the concept there. So, the remaining days of May and June, we will work on designing it. Now, July to December will be the pilot run to vet the (program) properly,” dagdag na wika ni Gatchalian.

Sa tulong ng economic team ng administrasyong Marcos, sinabi ni Gatchalian na sinusubukan nilang i-package ang financing side ng food stamp program ng national government, umaasa na maglulunsad ng actual run sa first quarters ng susunod na taon.

“But we have to point out that we will not also do it simultaneously (for the targeted) one million (families).  That’s trouble waiting to happen. We have to do it in a progressive manner.  We have to do the pilot at 3,000 families; 300,000 hopefully next year sa first run; another 300,000 right after and then hopefully reach the magic number of one million in the succeeding year,” ayon sa Kalihim.

Tinukoy nito na sa kabuuan ng programa, patuloy na imo-monitor  ng  DSWD at susuriin ang ang mga benepisaryo sa rehiyon na na- identify na.

Tinukoy din nito ang limang pilot sites na nagmula sa iba’t ibang geopolitical characteristics – isa sa  Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), dating naging  conflict area;  isa sa  geographically isolated regions o lalawigan; isa sa  urban poor settings; isa na magiging calamity-stricken areas; at isa ay  rural poor area.

“We have to make sure that iyong konteksto ng programa will be designed na naaangkop sa bawat lugar,” ani Gatchalian.

Ang food stamp program o “Walang Gutom 2027” naglalayon na magbigay ng electronic benefit transfers na lalagyan ng food credits na nagkakahalaga ng  P3,000 para makabili ng piling lstahan ng food commodities mula sa  DSWD accredited local retailers.

Layon ng “Walang Gutom 2027” na puntiryahin ang isang milyong sambahayan mula sa Listahanan 3 na nabibilang sa food poor criteria na ipinaliwanag ng  PSA.

“We believe that this program will properly address the gaps and assist its beneficiaries in attaining the recommended food and energy consumption needed for each member to perform their daily tasks and routines that has direct and indirect contribution to human capitalization and a direct positive impact towards nation-building. In other words, by meeting the daily food requirements of its target beneficiaries, the said program will sufficiently mitigate hunger caused by extreme poverty,” ang wika ni Gatchalian.

Ang identified beneficiaries ay mga pamilya na hindi nagagawang kumita ng P8,000 kada buwan  base sa  PSA gauge.

“It’s conditional… similar to other food stamp programs, there will be a work component. Ang argumento kasi ngayon ‘di ba, ‘pag gutom ang isang indibidwal, hindi siya maka-participate, hindi siya makatrabaho – kulang iyong caloric intake. So kung hindi siya makapagtrabaho, hindi siya produktibong mamamayan ng ating bansa,” pahayag pa rin nito.

“Ang kondisyon nga doon is, when you’re signed up, you have to go to your nearest Public Employment Service Office (PESO), get a certification that you are now partaking—being counted as part of the workforce no matter what job it is,” dagdag na wika ni Gatchalian.

Samantala, pinasalamatan naman ni Gatchalian  ang  Asian Development Bank sa pagbibigay ng U$3 million para sa six-month pilot run ng food program. (Daris Jose)